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A Fort Carson deserter who holed up in Canada for nearly three years was sentenced to prison today after a military court hearing that the defense tried to turn into an indictment of the Iraq war.

Pfc. Robin Long, who fled rather than reporting for duty at Fort Carson in 2005 told court-martial judge Col. Debra Boudreau that he left the country because of moral objections to what he termed an "illegal war." The judge came back with a 15-month sentence after prosecutors argued that Long "abandoned his duty, his honor and his country."

Long joined the Army in 2003, after the Iraq invasion, and was assigned to Fort Carson in early 2005, but never arrived at the post. Instead the 24-year-old first hid in his hometown of Boise, Idaho, before heading north to seek refugee status from Canadian authorities in a bid to avoid a possible deployment to Iraq.

The Canadians turned back Long's last appeal in July and sent him back to the United States, where he was taken into custody by the Army on July 15 at the border in Washington state.

Talk about violation of the UCMJ that calls for execution for desertion in time of war.

On Jan. 31, 1945, Hamtramck-born Eddie Slovik was executed by firing a squad near the village of Ste-Marie aux Mines for the crime of desertion. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme allied commander, personally ordered the execution during the closing days of World War II in order to deter other potential deserters.

During World War II, 21,049 American military personel were convicted of desertion, 49 were sentenced to death, but only Pvt. Slovik paid the ultimate price. In fact, he was the only American soldier to be executed for desertion since the American Civil War.

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The 21st century. The age of Smart phones and Stupid people.

It is said that branches draw their life from the vine. Each is separate yet all are one as they share one life giving stem . The Bible tells us we are called to a similar union in life, our lives with the life of God. We are incorporated into him; made sharers in his life. Apart from this union we can do nothing.